Quotes from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)

William Shakespeare ·  128 pages

Rating: (558K votes)


“By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)



“Life ... is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Look like the innocent flower,
But be the serpent under it.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“...Who could refrain,
That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make love known?”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“False face must hide what the false heart doth know.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)



“I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more, is none”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through fog and filthy air.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Where shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain? When the hurlyburly 's done, when the battle 's lost and won”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Come what come may, time and the hour run through the roughest day.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Things without all remedy should be without regard: what's done is done.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)



“Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it! Come to my woman’s breasts,
And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature’s mischief! Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor Heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry "Hold, hold!”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“All causes shall give way: I am in blood
Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o’er.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“O, full of scorpions is my mind!”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Confusion now hath made his masterpiece.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Out, out brief candle, life is but a walking shadow...a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)



“it provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Out, damned spot! out, I say!”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Macbeth: How does your patient, doctor?

Doctor: Not so sick, my lord, as she is troubled with thick-coming fancies that keep her from rest.

Macbeth: Cure her of that! Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, raze out the written troubles of the brain, and with some sweet oblivious antidote cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff which weighs upon her heart.

Doctor: Therein the patient must minister to himself.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“So fair and foul a day I have not seen.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)



“The love that follows us sometime is our trouble, which still we thank as love.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


“Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell.
Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace,
Yet Grace must still look so.”
― William Shakespeare, quote from Macbeth (Wordsworth Classics)


Video

About the author

William Shakespeare
Born place: Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, The United Kingdom
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“The nasty little apes that call themselves human beings can do nothing except run and hide.”
― Michael Crichton, quote from State of Fear


“You've been quiet these past days," Trevanion said. "Are you going to tell me what the...exchange of words was about?"

"Who said there was an exchange of words?" Finnikin asked with irritation.

"When a woman says 'I hope you fall under your horse' and 'catch your death, then see if I grieve you,'" Perri said, "then there's been an exchange of words."

Finnikin glared at him.

"In my humble opinion.”
― Melina Marchetta, quote from Quintana of Charyn


“You can give words, but you can't take them. And when words are given and received, that is when they are shared. We remember what that was like. Words so real they were almost tangible. There are conversations you remember, for certain. But more than that, there is the sensation of conversation. You will remember that, even when the precise words begin to blur.”
― David Levithan, quote from Two Boys Kissing


“Go and change your gown, Mary," Daniel interjected. "I'm partial to gold. If you've a gown in that color, wear it to please me. If not, white will do well enough. I'm wedding you, Lady Mary."

Lord Daniel Ferguson caught Lady Mary before she hit the floor. He wasn't at all irritated that his intended had just fainted dead away, and he actually let out a full burst of laughter as he swept Mary up into his arms and held her against his chest.

"She's overcome with gratitude, Alec," Daniel called out to his friend.

"Aye, Daniel, I can see she is," Alec answered.”
― Julie Garwood, quote from The Bride


“It was one of those hugs when it feels almost like you’re trying to meld yourself into the other person. Sometimes it’s sexual, but sometimes it’s because the world has gone too wrong and you need something to cling to.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton, quote from The Harlequin


Interesting books

The Pilgrim's Regress
(6K)
The Pilgrim's Regres...
by C.S. Lewis
Selected Poems
(5.9K)
Selected Poems
by Langston Hughes
Highlander Unmasked
(3.9K)
Highlander Unmasked
by Monica McCarty
This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
(42.7K)
This Is Your Brain o...
by Daniel J. Levitin
Shine Not Burn
(20.5K)
Shine Not Burn
by Elle Casey
The Trouble with Being Born
(2.6K)
The Trouble with Bei...
by Emil M. Cioran

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.